Adam stopped in front of a rundown motel tucked between two crooked tavern signboards.
The interior was dim, the air thick with mold and stale smoke. A weary innkeeper barely looked up as Adam tossed a gold coin onto the counter. Without a word, the man slid two keys across the desk.
Just as Adam was about to climb the creaking stairs, Jack hurried after him.
"W‑wait… about the poison. The cure… I need it."
Jack hated the feeling of being reduced to a servant, but he had no choice. Until Adam released him, he was chained to the demon in front of him.
Adam's expression didn't change. He conjured a small pill and flicked it toward Jack along with a key.
"We'll be leaving tomorrow. Stay in the next room."
Jack snatched the pill eagerly, swallowing without hesitation before sighing in relief. He looked like a drug addict who couldn't quit.
"Thank you… sir." Jack muttered reluctantly, then hurried into his room. He didn't want to spend another minute near him.
Adam watched the door close, his voice calm.
"Goodbye, Jack. Hope you're not scum in your next life."
The pill wasn't an antidote. It accelerated the poison coursing through Jack's veins, ensuring his death within the hour.
Without remorse, Adam opened his own door.
The room was simple. One bed, a small bathroom, and a window overlooking the street. At least the smell wasn't as foul as outside.
Adam sat on the bed, finally relaxing his tense body. He hadn't had much rest on the way to the island, spending most of the three days awake. Fortunately, the essence replenished his energy.
"I think now is the time to create an ability."
Ever since awakening his Gift [Visionary], too many things had happened, leaving him unable to focus on crafting unique skills of his own.
During the past three days, he had unleashed his imagination, sketching out countless ideas.
Blink… Fusion… Synergy… Space Storm… Time Stop.
Each spell was powerful, but the cost was absurd, far beyond the Spirit points he could afford at his current level.
At first, he thought of creation ability that allow him to create things with mana and bypass his [visionary] spirit consumption restrictions.
Unfortunately, it was impossible for him to visualize such an ability.
So he had planned to settle for a weaker skill, something he could evolve once he broke through to a higher tier.
But then he paused.
Why settle for a skill? Why not create an ability?
A skill was just a fixed spell, rigid in its use. But an ability… an ability could adapt, shift, and be wielded in countless ways.
And he had just the right one in mind.
Adam closed his eyes and began to visualize an ability inspired by the one that had once brought him despair.
"Shadow Manifest!"
Shadows swirled around him, tainted with a faint purple hue.
Adam grabbed a whip shadow and crushed it in his hand.
"Not enough."
The shadows were too weak, too fragile to serve any purpose. He needed to add more traits.
He drew the essence from his inventory, replenishing his spirit, and began adding traits into the shadow's ability.
First, he added the Shaping trait—so he could mold the shadows into blades, chains, armor, or whatever form he desired.
Second, he added Elastic and Harden—so their properties could shift at will, stretching like whips or solidifying into shields.
Finally, he linked their strength directly to his Mana. The more mana he invested, the stronger the shadows would become.
Adam's eyes lit up, his face filled with excitement. He couldn't wait to see the effects of the ability that had cost him 175 Spirit points to create. Without hesitation, he called.
"Manifest!"
A dark purple smoke crawled from his body, coiling around him like living serpents. With a single thought, the smoke gathered and solidified into a dark dagger.
Adam inspected his craft and decided to test its sharpness. He pressed the dagger against the wooden floor, but it didn't pierce. So he increased the Mana output, hardening the shadow dagger until it sank cleanly into the wood.
A smile spread across his face. His excitement grew as he shifted the shadows into new forms: spear, shield, chains, and even armor that clung to his body like a second skin.
"Not only that…"
The smoke swirled again, reshaping into a wolf. Then it shifted to different creatures: lion, cheetah, donkey, and rabbit. Each form appeared as quickly as he imagined it.
All it took was visualizing an image, and the shadows would manifest into it.
Of course, the creatures were only extensions of his thoughts, hollow shells without awareness. But the potential was undeniable.
"If I can shape a dragon… or a giant… wouldn't I be able to fight monsters far larger than myself?"
His mind flashed back to the basilisk he had fought in the dungeon.
'If I had Shadow Manifest then, I could have created a giant golem to pin it down… and finished it with ease.'
"I think I've created an great ability."
The more he thought of its applications, the more excited he became. He had managed to create something that could rival one‑star spells, even as an Adept.
"This will give me a better chance in my ambush."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. The shadows reacted to his thoughts, forming the two grotesque heads of John and Jude Faraday.
"I'm going to have the real thing soon." Adam said with a venomous tone.
With a sharp bang, both heads burst into smoke.